Device for indicating the number of cartridges in the magazines of firearms.



PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.

F. GOTTARDI. DEVICE FOR INDIGATING THE NUMBER OF CARTRIDGES IN THE MAGAZINES OF FIREARMS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

EATENTED MAR.'14, 1905.

F. 'GOTTARDI. DEVICE FOR INDIGATING THE NUMBER OF CARTRIDGES IN THE MAGAZINES 0F FIREARMS.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 1904.

2 SHEETS-#:1111111 2.

WITNE-$$$ m: emf/Vera.

UNTTED STATES Patented March 14;, 1905.

PATENT @FFTQEQ DEVICE FOR INDICATING THE NUMBER OF CARTRIDGES IN THE MAGAZINES OF FIREARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming par f Letters Patent N 784,786, dated March 14, 1905. Application filed July 7, 1904. Serial No. 215,662.

To (all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANoEsoo GOTTARDI, secretary of the Provincial Government of Tyrol, a subject of the Emperor of Austria- I-Iungary, residing at Innsbruck, in the Province of Tyrol and Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Indicating the Number of Cartridges in the Magazines of Firearms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention has for its object an automatic device for indicating how many cartridges there are in the magazine of agun or rifle, the invention being applicable to magazines of box-dru1n or tube form. The device is such that the user can ascertain by feeling only without opening the magazine and simply by gripping the latter, even in the dark, how many cartridges remain in the magazine.

The essential feature of the invention is the arrangement in the path of the cartridges in the magazine or in the path of the cartridge-lifting device or of some part which moves therewith of movable studs projecting inwardly through the wall of the magazine and so arranged and spaced apart that as often as the cartridges or lifting device are moved forward in the magazine after the firing of the weapon and upon the insertion of a fresh cartridge into the firing-chamber one of the studs passes out of contact with a cartridge or with the lifting device or part connected therewith and is thereupon. moved inward by means of a spring, for instance. If now the number of the studs is made the same as that of the cartridges when the magazine is full and if the arrangement is such that the studs project from the wall of the magazine, so long as they are not permitted to move inward, as described above, the number of the outwardly-projecting studs will always be equal to the number of the cartridges remaining in the magazine, and the soldier or sportsman using the weapon can ascertain with certainty simply by feeling the studs with his fingers, even in the dark, how many cartridges-he has left.

In the accompanying drawings several forms of the present invention are illustrated.

Figure 1 shows, partly in section, a form of construction of box-magazine having the cartridges in a single row therein. Fig. 2 shows a similar arrangement in cross-section, but in which the cartridges are substantially in two rows. Fig.3 is a similar view showing the invention as applied to a drum-magazine. Figs. 4 and 5 show in cross-section and partial side elevation, respectively, an arrangement in which the studs are moved by the lifting device. Fig. 6 shows a modification applicable to boXmagazines. Fig. 7 shows, partly in section, an arrangement in which a box-magazine is arranged in the stock in connection with a tubular magazine leading forward to the firing-chamb r.

Referring first to Fig. 1, in one wall of the boxma azine 1 studs 2 are so arran ed that in the filling of the magazine a stud is opposite to each cartridge and is so held by the latter that its outer end projects outwardly from the wall of the magazine, as shown, for the four uppermost studs. hen the cartridgelifting device 3 moves upward into the firingchamber the topmost cartridge after the firing of the weapon, the lowermost outwardlypressed stud comes out of contact with the cartridge formerly opposite to it and is drawn inward by means of a spring 4, so that it no longer projects from the wall of the magazine, but lies in the position shown for the lowermost stud in Fig. 1. The remaining studs, however, again come into engagement with cartridges and still project outwardly from the walls of the magazine. By the simple process of feeling the rows of studs with a finger the exact number of projecting studs can be ascertained and this gives the number of cartridges in the magazine. The studs 2 consist, according to the construction shown in the drawings, of cases 5 with rounded i11- ner ends 6, closed at their outer ends by means of screwed stoppers 7 and provided at two opposite points in their side walls with longitudinal slots 8, through which pins 9 proj ect across the cases, said pins being fixed in the walls of the holes formed in the magazinewalls for receiving the studs. Between the inner ends of the cases 5 and the pins 9 com pression-springs 4: are arranged, which tend to press inward the cases when no cartridges are opposite to them, so that the stoppers 7 will then not project beyond the wall of the magazine. If the wall of the magazine con sists of a single sheet or if it is so thin that it does not provide sufficient room for the work ing of the studs, a case, such as 10, Fig. 1, may be attached to the wall of the magazine for receiving the studs.

The above described arrangement of the studs 2 is to be regarded only as an example of construction. In order to attain the desired object, it is only necessary that the springs 4 shall be so arranged that they press the studs inward when these latter are not held outward by a cartridge in the magazine.

In the arrangement according to Fig. 2 the studs 2 are arranged in the walls as in Fig. 1, but on both sides of the magazine 1 in such positions that when the magazine is full each alternate stud is pressed outward by a cartridge, while the intermediate studs are left free and are held inward by their springs. (Not shown.) In this case when the magazinc is full the number of cartridges lying in one side thereof (the left in the drawings) is less by one than the number at the other side, (the right in the drawings,) and there is above the uppermost cartridge of the first row in the filled magazine one stud, which is pressed inward by its spring, as shown at the left-hand side in Fig. If now the lifting device 3 is raised through half the distance between two adjacent cartridges in the same row in order to bring the uppermost cartridge of the righthand row into the firing-chamber, the first, third, and fifth studs from above on the right side of the magazine will be left free and pressed inward, while, on the contrary, the second and fourth will be forced outward by the cartridges coming incontact with their inner ends. 011 the left side of the magazine, however, the first and third studs will be pressed outward and the second and fourth inward. There are then in all four studs pressed outward that is to say, ust as many as there are cartridges in the magazine. The remaining studs are pressed inward, and the lowermost studs of each row are opposite the lifting device 3. In the next raising of the lifting device the first and third studs on the right will bepressed outward and the second and fourth inward, while the fifth naturally remains in its former position. On the left side the second stud is pressed outward,while the first and third are pressed inward and the fourth remains as before. There are therefore corresponding to the number of cartridges in the magazine three studs projecting outward, while the remainder are pressed inward. In the same way at each subsequent raising of the lifting device the num ber of studs pressed outward will be reduced by one, so that the number of the projecting studs is always equal to the number of cartridges in the magazine. There are therefore in this construction more studs than there are cartridges in the filled magazine, and the studs are so arranged that in the succeeding upward movements of the lifting device they are alternately moved in and outward by the engagement-of the cartridges, so that the number of the studs left free to move inward at each movement of the lifting device is greater by one than the number of those moved outward. In this construction the user must feel the magazine at both sides.

Fig. 3 shows the method of employment of the invention in a drrunanagazine. The studs 2 are in this case arranged radially or approximately radially in the casing of the magazine, so that when this latter is full each stud stands opposite to a cartridge resting in the drum of the device 31, which serves as the lifting means and is consequently pressed outward by this cartridge. In the successive discharges of cartridges from the magazine the studs will be successively released, as in the arrangements of Figs. 1 and 2, and will be pressed inward by their springs.

Figs. 4 and 5 show an arrangement in which the studs 2 are not operated directly by the cartridges, but by the lifting device 3, which device for this object carries a plate 11 at one side, while the studs 2 are arranged on the same side of the magazine in such a way that when the lifting device occupies its lowest position with the magazine full the plate 11 presses against the inner ends of all the studs, and consequently presses these latter outwardly. As the magazine is emptied step by step the lifting device is raised up-- ward with the plate 11, whereby the studs are left free one by one from below upward and fall back into the wall of the magazine. The arrangement of Figs. 4 and 5 has the advantage ascompared with the arrangement of Fig. 2 that the studs are, as in Fig.

1, all on the same side of the magazine. In

case the distance between the adjacent studs should be too little for the number to be counted with certainty by the feel when these latter are arranged in a vertical row, the studs may be arranged in a diagonal line, as shown in Fig. 5. i

Fig. 6 shows a further modification of the invention as applied to a box-magazine. The studs 2 are in this arrangement mounted in the path of an arc-shaped plate 12, fixed on the end of an arm 13, the other end of which arm is bent and engages under the lifting device 3. The

manner of working is substantially the same as in the arrangement of Figs. 4 and 5, only that the studs are pressed successlvely 1n ward by their sprmgs from above downward during the emptying of the magazine as the plate 12 passes away from the inner ends of said studs.

Fig. 7 finally shows the arrangement according to the invention for the case in which a box-magazine is arranged in the stock in connection with a tube-magazine 14, leading forward to the breech. 'lhe studs 2 are in this case the same for the box-magazine as in Fig. 1, except that they are arranged on the stock, and,further, a row of studs is ar ranged along the whole length of the tubemagazine at distances apart corresponding to the length of each cartridge. In this case also as the boX and tube magazines are emptied step by step first the studs of the boxmagazine in the stock and then the studs of the tube-magazine are freed, so that the number of the outwardly-projecting studs is always equal to the number of cartridges in the magazine.

1. An indicator for a magazine for firearms, having a number of projecting studs in the wall of its chamber adapted to be displaced, with relation to the surface of the magazine-walls, one at a time upon the successive ejection of the cartridges.

2. An indicator for a magazine for .firearms, comprising a number of projecting studs in the wall of the cartridge-chamber, against which cartridges may press, and springs adapted to return the studs toward the interior of said chamber one at a time as the cartridges are ejected.

3. An indicator for firearms, comprising a number of studs in a line projecting beyond the surface of the outer wall of the cartridgechamber, springs tending to force said studs into said chamber, the inner end of a stud being adapted to be projected against its spring by a cartridge adjacent thereto and within the chamber.

In testimony whereof .1 have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCESCO GOTTARDI.

Witnesses:

ALvEsTo S. HoeUE, AUGUST FUGGER. 

